Take the Initiative for Marketing-Heidi Bee Roemer

The interview with Heidi Bee Roemer has been posted at WaukTOWN radio.

Be prepared to take responsibility to market your book. Start slowly and build the momentum to step by step, says author Heidi Bee Roemer.

For Heidi, taking the initiative in marketing her book came from realizing that once it was published, she didn’t want the book to languish on a shelf or go out of date. She wanted others, especially children, to experience the joy she found in poetry.

Heidi has done a number of things to attract attention for her books. She put together a web site (www.heidibroemer.com) where she can post information for her audience, taking into consideration the needs of the librarians and teachers who she expects will be reading it. School presentations are also a way of reaching others that Heidi has taken advantage of. And, she has been a writer in residence in the Chicago Public Schools.

With the promotion efforts for her most recent book, What Kinds of Seeds Are These?, Heidi has carefully targeted her audience. She is sending out color postcards printed with the cover of the book on one side and information about the book and her availability for school and library presentations on the other side.

Heidi ordered the postcards from an online print company, then compiled a list of schools in her area—plus a few dream locals to visit as well!—and addressed the cards. Although it did take a while to cut and paste the text from a list of school name and addresses, Heidi said she saved some time by addressing the postcards to the school media center or library so she didn’t need individual names.

Heidi’s marketing initiative has already paid off: Her publisher decided to pay for postage to mail the postcards!

Kid's Poetry, Anthologies, and More (oh my!)

Our guest this Saturday on Writer’s Webcast is Heidi Roemer. The interview will be uploaded on the Internet the week of Sept. 25 at WaukTOWN radio.

Heidi teaches poetry and has had her own poetry published in many anthologies and is also the other of three books: All Aboard for Zippity Zoo, Come to My Party (a Monarch Award 2007 nominee), and most recently, What Kinds of Seeds Are These?

Her writing and publishing all began in 1996 with what she calls “a modest sale to a children’s Sunday school paper.” Since then, Heidi has published over 300 stories, poems, and articles to a variety of children’s magazines. Make sure to listen to the interview to find out how she did it.

Immerse Yourself For Success

The interview with Esther Hershenhorn has been posted at WaukTOWN radio.

Esther Hershenhorn began to find publishing success once she immersed herself in her characters which let the story unfold naturally. By finding the emotional connection between the character and the story, Esther is able to develop a manuscript that draws the reader in and attracts the attention of a publisher.

Her technique for creating the entire character involves using all of her senses. Esther’s research involves cooking food, listening to music, visiting locations, and incorporating the sights, sounds, touch, smells, and tastes to immerse herself in the world that would be a part of her character’s life.

Writer’s are always making up stories, Esther pointed out, and using all of our senses when doing research gives us an additional storehouse of information to pull from when developing a character. By doing what the character would so, we are less likely to force the character to do what we want him or her to do and loose the voice of the story.

Esther is so interested in using all of her senses she is even taking an Improv class to unearth new ways for her mind—and body--to respond to the same old things. And create fresh stories from what she has learned.

Focus on Esther Hershenhorn

Author, teacher, and writing coach Esther Hershenhorn will be our guest for the Sept. 16 Writer’s Webcast interview. The show will be uploaded on the Internet the week of Sept. 18 at WaukTOWN Radio.

As a board member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Regional Advisor of SCBWI’s 900-member Illinois chapter, Esther is also an advocate for children’s books and the people who create them.

Esther’s story is a balm to every writer who isn’t yet published, but wants to be.

She often introduces herself as “the Susan Lucci of children's books” since the road to publication seemed to take as long as what the Emmy-winning soap opera star endured. The accolades from writers that Esther has coached and worked with are testament to her talent, skill, and knowledge of the current publishing scene. Her generosity is also evident, as well. Esther’s name comes up consistently with other writers who speak highly of her and have requested that she be interviewed on Writer’s Webcast.

Esther's books include Chicken Soup by Heart, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award, and the middle grade novel The Confessions and Secrets of Howard J. Fingerhut. She teaches writing for children classes at the University of Chicago's Writer's Studio and Chicago's Newberry Library.

Although Esther’s journey took some time, she discovered something even more wonderful than what she first sought. She found her story was also worth sharing to motivate and inspire other writers. I’m looking forward to talking with her!

If you have a question for Esther, please leave a comment and I will ask it during the interview.

The Up Side of Mailings-Brent Brotine

Unsolicited mail? Brent Brotine knows there is an upside to all the print and Internet mailings being sent out. The pieces are being sent more frequently, are longer in length, and are more plentiful. That means more words.

The interview with Brent Brotine has been posted at WaukTOWN Radio.

It’s all terrific news to Brent. As a freelance direct mail copywriter for financial and other markets, Brent is the person who puts the words down on paper that entice a prospective consumer to respond. He says there are some good opportunities available in direct market (DM) for writers. But, even though more mailings may mean more writing opportunities, a good portfolio is what gets you the job, according to Brent.

But how do you get the samples to show the samples to get the work?

A good place to start to gather samples is to work for a temporary agency, Brent said. He mentioned Artisan, Paladin, Copy Desk, and City Staffing as possible companies to consider. He also suggested the Independent Writer’s of Chicago (IWOC) as a resource. IWOC has meetings and presentations for writers to network and gather information, plus a job board that is only open to members.

Brent is a past president of IWOC and also teaches public relations for the University of Phoenix. While developing portfolio samples, Brent said it’s still important to remember the basics and make sure your skills are polished. Grammar skills and clear writing are always the foundation of any piece, he said, no mater if the material is for DM or new media.

If Your Mother Says She Loves You...Rick Kogan

Listen to the Rick Kogan interview at www.waukegan.org.

There’s a saying in journalism that if your mother says she loves you, check it out. The idea, of course, is to be prepared to ask questions and do the legwork if you want to end up with a solid story.

Rick Kogan stressed the importance of research in our recent interview and said it means more than a quick Google search. From a journalistic standpoint, research will make sure to get facts correct. It also lets all writers, fiction and non-fiction, write with confidence since they have a wealth of material to select from. Rick explained his research procedure and used his recent article on entertainer Tom Dreesen as an example. By going back to Tom’s old neighborhood in Harvey, IL, Rick explained how he gathered enough information for the lead in the article to practically write itself. You can read Rick’s Pulitzer-nominated article on Tom at www.tomdreesen.com. Tom Dreesen toured with Frank Sinatra and often appears on the David Letterman Show. Tom will be a future guest on Writer’s Webcast to talk about writing comedy and his new one-man show.

Rick's book A Chicago Tavern was recently published by Lake Claremont Press . This fall, Rick’s tenth book, Sidewalks, Portraits of Chicago will be published by Northwestern University Press.

New Shows Up Soon

After the recording stops, and the show officially ends, there's always more to say. Sometimes our guests stay in the studio and we talk of cabbages, kings, and all manner of things. Othertimes, there's a mention of something in the interview and we need someplace to collect the additional information.

As my friend Shelli would say, "What to do? What to do?"

That's what great about the Writer's Webcast Blog. It's a place to announce upcoming guests, wrapup topics discussed on the show, and --as soon as I figure it out!--a place for your comments.

The new shows will be posted this week at www.waukegan.org.